Most Guyville hipsters seemed to hang out at either Rainbo Club or Gold Star Lounge. I favored the Gold Star because it was a block from where I lived, the bartender (Rand Miller… who also worked at Rainbo, actually) knew me, and they had a great jukebox (for some reason I always played Gary Numan when I went there. Gary Numan and Tom Waits).
I had a lot of good conversations, played a lot of pool, and drank a lot of whiskey at Gold Star (though, honestly, I favored playing pool amongst the skells on Friday evenings at the nearby Bop Shop. More tables.). I brought visiting friends here, even though Club Foot was just 100 feet or so from my apartment. I liked the clientele: a real mix of crusty but pleasant old Chicago types and hipsters who took drinking seriously. Unlike some folks I could mention, I don’t need a Nelson Algren atmosphere to drink; but if there’s a dearth of assholes in the room, it helps.
So much happened here: the publication party for my zine collection Cop Porn; chats with friends old and new; much convivial alcohol consumption; and, if you didn’t know it, my first meeting with my future wife, Michael. But that’s a story in itself.